MLS rules · California · CRMLS

CRMLS virtual staging: the label and the original frame

Q: What if the seller will actually install the flooring shown?

The exception can apply only where the property will be improved to match by close as part of the listed price.

CRMLS does not ask for a watermark. It asks for two things a staged file has to arrive with: a label in the photo description field, and the unaltered photograph displayed beside it in the listing.

Stage a room See pricing

The rule, quoted

A Subscriber who submits to the MLS any Digitally Altered Image must also (i) submit the original, unaltered version of the digitally altered image, (ii) ensure that the original, unaltered version is displayed in the listing immediately before or after the digitally altered image, and (iii) ensure that the digitally altered image is labeled as “Photo Modified”, “Virtually Staged”, “Digitally Altered,” or “AI Altered,” or some accurate substantially similar term in the text field section for the altered photo in the add/edit module.

CRMLS Rule 11.5.2, as published in the Digitally Altered Image Guidance & FAQs. Rule effective 2026-01-01; knowledgebase page updated 2026-10-20; checked 2026-11-01.

What that means on the upload screen

Label the altered photo

In the photo’s text field, type “Virtually Staged”. A watermark on the image is not what the rule asks for, and on its own it does not satisfy it.

Upload the original too

The unaltered frame goes into the same listing, displayed immediately before or after the staged one.

Keep the pair

Both files stay in the listing record. If the compliance team asks, the pair is the evidence.

What CRMLS does not let you change

Element	Rule
Walls, floors, windows, doors, cabinetry, fixtures	Cannot be added, removed or altered unless the property will be improved to match by close, as part of the listed price.
Landscaping and hardscape	AI-generated landscaping changes are not permitted in the MLS.
Views and neighbouring property	Elements outside or visible from the property cannot be changed.
Light, colour, crop, sharpening	Adjustments that do not change what the property is are carved out of the rule.

The fine changed during 2026

The February 2026 FAQ said there was no fine for the rule and that the committee would revisit it. The knowledgebase page updated on 20 October 2026 says a violation results in a warning first and then a $250 fine if it is not corrected in time. First contact is corrective either way.

If you read a guide written before October 2026, its fine section is out of date. That is the reason this site prints the date on every rule.

Questions

Is a watermark enough for CRMLS?

No. The requirement is a label in the photo description field plus the original frame in the listing. A watermark is a different mechanism and does not replace either.

Does the original have to be a separate upload?

Yes. It has to be in the listing, displayed immediately before or after the altered photo, which means it is its own image in the gallery.

What if the seller will actually install the flooring shown?

Then the rule’s exception can apply, but only where the property will be improved to match by close as part of the listed price. That is a question for the listing agreement and the broker, not for the photo editor.

Sources

CRMLS, Digitally Altered Image Guidance & FAQs — updated 2026-10-20.
CRMLS, Digitally Altered Images FAQ (PDF) — 2026-02-13, the version that said no fine.

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Not legal advice; refer to the official rule text.